#fall advantage 2013

[katrinarene]

Year One.

Today marks my 1 year anniversary working for Disney!

I moved into Chatham Square May 20th and began a journey that has changed my life forever. During my program I was lucky enough to have some amazing roommates one of which became my best friend, enjoy a short lived romance, and make many lasting friendships with fellow CP's who went through all the heartache of being an intern just like I did. Not everything about my program was glamorous, but I appreciate the downs just as much as the ups. I never imagined then that working for Disney would take me half way across the world to work in another Disney Park, but happily fate took the reigns and here I am in Tokyo Disneyland. I am so lucky I have such a supportive family who has helped me transition two major moves in one year, and is willing to support my next move after this contract where ever that may be.

Working for this company has changed my perception of people by showing me that a smile and a story can impact not only someones day but their life. I am very grateful that I get to be a part of that storytelling in the parks. I think the most important thing I have learned is that any dream is possible, and wished do come true, you can reach the stars if you just believe! .... yes I did just quote castle show, its my favorite! More importantly I have to  thank the characters I have been able to spend time with because they bring me just as much- if not more joy as they bring the guests, So here is to you King Louie, Mr.Penguin, Rapunzel, Jessie, Mr.Smee, Cinderella, Ariel, Mrs.Incredible, and Belle. I can't wait to see where I end up next year!! I might still be in Asia, back in the States, or on a cruise ship, but where ever I'll be I know I will be happy because I am doing what I love. :) 

[brittalexis21]

Just Reminiscing...

At this time last year, I was pending for the Disney College Program... It is crazy to think about, and it is insane to see how much my life has changed over the past year. :) While I have definitely learned from some of the poor decisions I have made, I have realized that I am so much stronger than I could have ever imagined. The Disney College Program showed me who I am and what I love without changing me a single bit. :D I know exactly what I want to do in life because of the DCP. Anyone considering doing the program, DO IT! It is so beyond worth anything that you could ever imagine. <3

[brittalexis21]

I am so glad that I kept a journal through the beginning stages of my DCP adventure... My other tumblr was deleted, and I would have been so disappointed to lose some of my memories from the very beginning! 

[excitinglysimple]

Did I Mention??

Did I mention I found a Ron Stoppable for my Kim Possible cosplay?? Because I did :D Pictures to come in the next few days! Yall are going to just love them!

[alecatindisney]

FOUND ABOUT 5 OR 6 WDWCP DPI FALL 2013 CPs COMING TO EPCOT TO WORK WITH ME. :D

You have been warned. ;)

Just kidding! I'll take you under my wing. 

[tnld]

Second Star to the Left Date 11724.0

Monday at work nothing really happened of note but I got to hang out with an adorable 1 yr old for like an hour when I was on A Frame. She was with her mother, of course, but they were waiting for the rest of the family to get through Haunted Mansion. She was so cute I honestly wanted to offer to babysit for them - I didn't. Because, you know that would be creepy. And I’m fairly certain they didn't even speak English. But anyways, the notable thing about Monday happened when I got home. I was chilling on the couch talking to my sister on the phone, looking at Facebook albums when there is a knock at the door. Pause. 1. It’s just after midnight. 2. My friend from work had stopped by earlier before I got home seeking my advice on a personal topic. Resume. I tell my roommates I’ll get it & my sister to hang on. We now have a rule that I shouldn't open the door. Standing in my doorframe is not my friend from work but some sweaty Asian kid panting for breath. He launches into this spiel about how is German roommate stole his keys and won't let him back into the apartment until he does something to boost his confidence about himself i.e. bring back a girl's bra and/or panties. I just start laughing at the kid. Holy spaghetti-o's Batman, 16 Candles just became real life. Do I at least get Jake and a cake at the end? I would love to tell you that I sent him packing with a lovely view of my door slammed in his face. I implore to tell you this. Unfortunately, I cannot. My other roommates got involved. Not that I don't love them to death or anything but one of them is definitely a more ballsy girl and it's not always a beneficial thing. So two of my roommates begin to question the kid and I'm effortlessly maintaining my laugh so that I don't have to talk to anyone about how I feel this is the stupidest thing ever, and then the Asian kid's other locked out roommate shows up panting at our doorstep. Now I'm not going to lie - he was a good looking kid. Which is probably how this happened: I go to my room because at this point I'm outtie 5000 I want no part in this insanity and my room roommate is like "What the hell is going on out there?" I pretty quickly fill her in and then my other roommate just forks over a bra and keeps talking to them. I'm in my room trying to wait it out. My laptop and phone are in the living room. I would like to get back to my night. But she keeps chatting them up. The sane mild-mannered one apparently hands over some drawers. And then the outgoing one goes, "Beth are you bringing stuff out here or not?!" And I don't know folks, maybe it was because she put me on the spot, maybe it was because I knew that if I refused I would never hear the end of it from her, I don't know. What I do know is that it's been a few days and I still haven't seen that pair of underwear I forked over in the middle of the night to two strange guys and I'll probably never see it again.

Tuesday was good but apparently uneventful as I can remember no events from that day. You're welcome.

Wednesday was also a good day. It was hot as Heath Ledger's smile in 10 Things I Hate About You but it was good. We had what my friend Pedro refers to as "Cinderella Time" at work today though. This is when the restaurant is overstaffed for the projected Guest Attendance and then all of us minions  CPs are assigned random cleaning tasks. Things I saw today: people taking out the actual trash bins (like the metal containers that hold the trash not the trash bins we change like every 5 minutes) and washing them down, people hardcore cleaning the Busser's closet, people Ecoshining the metal banisters that are everywhere backstage, and then there was my task. Another girl and myself were tasked to clean the AVAC room upstairs. We have 2 AVACs in the restaurant, one for each floor. The AVAC is a little room where the trash gets dumped and then sucked away to who knows where. Anyway, the two of us had to scrub down the metal walls with this gross creamy soap, faux powerwash it, and then scrub them down again with Ecoshine (basically it makes metal surfaces super shiny but it's a pain in the butt to apply). We also had to squeegee the floor, reorganize the bins that were in there and get rid of the debris on the floor from previous trash runs. There are no windows in the AVAC nor are there fans. I was in a colonial dress which is by no means made of light fabric or minimal layers. I was still wearing my civvies underneath my costume from my failed attempt to get a turkey leg before work. The temperature today was in the high 90s and the real feel was somewhere in the hundreds. I was dying. At one point I had to grab a paper towel because my face was sweating so much. On the plus side I most likely sweated off the pancakes I had late late Sunday night when I went out with some friends from work. :) Alright, so that's enough - probably more than enough- for one diary entry. I'm sure you're tired of reading by now and I have to get some sleep for work tomorrow. Thanks for sticking through to the end of the post. More (shorter) updates to follow so keep an eye out! And don't forget every other Friday (so this Friday!!) I'm answering questions about the DCP that are in the Ask box so click that link and start asking! Until then -  HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!

[tnld]

Tumblrites, ready your bodies.

Alright so here's how the diary entries are going to go down: I'm not really planning to hold anything back. This means that you're going to read about the good, bad, and the crazy - definitely the crazy because it's me so nothing is ever normal. Sometimes the picture painted might not be a beautiful one but I ask that you remember that I love it here and I'm allowed to have days AT WORK OR IN REAL LIFE that suck just the same as you. This blog is not intended to deter anyone from the DCP (in fact that would probably make me cry). This blog is simply intended to log my adventures in the place where no one ever has to grow up. Cool, I'm glad we got that out of the way :) So diary entries to come but until then - HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!

[tnld]

Tú hablas..?

So one of the things I’ve learned from working at Disney is that while knowing a language other than English (& even that doesn’t have to be 100%) isn’t necessary, it does help - a lot. Even though you can mostly jump the language barrier with Guests with a smile & some good natured determination, knowing a second language might make all the difference when it comes to your workplace. For my part a lot of my co-workers talk to each other in Spanish, French, Creole, Japanese, & Chinese. And I speak English. I used to know Spanish, but then I didn’t use it for four years & now I’m just like, "¿Qué?" When my friends at work forget that I am not a native the Spanish speaker like they are. After the fifth time that my friend turned to me & drowned me in fluent Spanish in a week, I decided that no longer would I be ignorant of what was going on Backstage. So since last week I have been taking Spanish lessons on my bus ride into work on my phone. I am so jazzed to see the look on their faces when I actually understand their muy rápido rants in the Break Room. After Spanish I also hope to learn French & Portuguese & who knows what else! :) ¡TENGA UN DÍA MÁGICO!